Richard Truett
AUTOMOTIVE NEWS
Published: October 16, 2014 6:00 am ET
Updated: October 16, 2014 9:38 am ET
Image By: Chrysler Group
Klaus Busse, Chrysler Group's interior design chief.
DETROIT — Klaus Busse, Chrysler Group's 6-foot-7 head of interior design, is a gentle giant and a playful one, too.
Busse and his team enjoy hiding what they call "Easter eggs" throughout Chrysler Group vehicles for owners to discover.
Easter eggs are fun, unobtrusive art elements that feature landmarks or historical images related to the vehicle.
Examples include the outline of the Jeep grille on the windshield of the upcoming Renegade, a 1941 Willys military Jeep in the black windshield edging on the Cherokee and the Detroit skyline — minus General Motors' headquarters — in a rubber mat on the Chrysler 200's console.
Chrysler does not publicize the Easter eggs because it wants customers to discover them on their own.
"There is no process on how we design these things," says the 44-year-old Mercedes-Benz veteran, who stayed with Chrysler after the failed DaimlerChrysler merger. "If it works, we'll do it; if it doesn't, we won't."
He says the Easter eggs can appear anywhere on the vehicle, from a taillight lens to an instrument cluster.
"We're infusing some soul, and some passion, and hopefully, putting a smile on the customer's face," says Busse.
Not all Easter eggs all have been discovered yet.
For example, there's a spider somewhere in the new Jeep Renegade. And more are coming.
"I'm working on a couple right now my boss will never know about," Busse says.
Here's a look at some Easter eggs on 2014 and 2015 Chrysler Group vehicles.
Jeep Cherokee
Image By: Automotive News
The outline of a 1941 World War II Willys military Jeep is in the lower windshield edging near the center of the dash. Flip up the front passenger seat in the 2015 Cherokee, and you will see an outline of the Hell's Revenge off-road course in Moab, Utah, a favorite place for Jeep aficionados to drive in extreme terrain.
Image By: Automotive News
Dodge Charger
The inside of the console lid features a "DB" Dodge Brothers logo and the words "Designed in Detroit."
Image By: Automotive News
Jeep Renegade
The upcoming baby Jeep is loaded with Easter eggs. A Jeep grille outline can be seen on the windshield behind the rearview mirror, on the taillights and on the door speaker trim. And the side cladding features the words "no step" in military block lettering.
Check out others at Automotive News. | 
